The fabricated story, in which Burton celebrates the collapse of his PBS showReading Rainbow, delivers lines like: "For 26 years, I've told kids they could open a magical door to another world just by reading a book, when the only door it ever opened for me led to a soul-sucking career in the horrifying abyss of public television."

Those familiar with the Onion’s brand of parody laughed. Those not so familiar expressed shame and disappointment on Twitter.

Weird News Photos: Holiday Edition

In response, the actor tweeted back: "Relax, OK?" explaining that "the Onion is a satirical parody of news events and meant to be enjoyed as such!"